THE cost of getting divorced will jump by a third after the Government announced a hike in court fees.

Spouses seeking a split will face a £550 bill under the new regime – £140 more than they currently pay, but £200 less than the original proposals.

Ministers said they decided not to implement their original proposals to raise issuing divorce proceedings by 80% “carefully considering” concerns.

They insisted the “most vulnerable” would be protected by ensuring remission is available for petitioners who need it such as women in low wage households.

Under other proposed measures which first emerged in a consultation in January, it was also confirmed that fees for issuing a possession claim - normally used to evict tenants - in the county court will rise by £75 from £280 to £355.

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The Ministry of Justice said its analysis suggests this “will not deter anyone who would otherwise have taken their claim to court”.

Fees for general applications in civil proceedings will double from £50 to £100, while the cost of contested applications will rise from £155 to £255. The MoJ said applications involving “vulnerable” people would be excluded from this increase, such as those to vary or extend injunctions for protection from harassment or violence.

Justice Minister Shailesh Vara said the courts and tribunals service costs £1billion more a year to run than it receives in income. The increases will generate an extra £60million a year.

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Spouses seeking a split will face a £550 bill under the new regime

Many of the claims brought for higher values will involve large multi-national organisations or wealthy individuals

Shailesh Vara

Courts minister Shailesh Vara also announced fresh consultation on new proposals including raising the maximum fee for money claims from £10,000 to at least £20,000.

Fees are currently payable on 5% of the value of a claim up to a maximum fee of £10,000. Mr Vara said the change will only affected cases worth £200,000 or more.

The highest value claims account for 0.4% of the total 1.2 million money claims each year, he added.

“Many of the claims brought for higher values will involve large multi-national organisations or wealthy individuals, and we believe it is right to ask them to contribute more,” the minister said.

Officials estimate that the increases confirmed, which are expected to come into force later in the year, will generate £60m a year in extra income. Those under consideration would yield around £48m a year.

Mr Vara added: “We recognise that fee increases are not popular but they are necessary."